Be (t)here, the Augmented Memory / Stephanie Be
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Stephanie Be. started her photographic journey at the age of 10 on the shore of Lac Leman in the French Alps. Since then, she has consistently captured her most personal moments with a collection of over several 100,000 life events. As time is becoming today’s most valuable asset, she invites us through an artistic and immersive exploration, to reflect on the power of our MEMORY and its ability, once enriched with photography and diaries to give us a stronger appreciation of our past to better apprehend our future.
Stephanie is thus tapping into moments, emotions and experiences of the past to re-create blended present fictional photographic moments that only belong to oneself. Through the phenomena of “déjà-vu”, it also awakens our ability to go back in time and our desire for ubiquity: to be present everywhere at the same time.
According to Stephanie, exploiting the freedom to travel back in time and space in her memory gave her the power to imagine a world that hasn’t been created yet. A world of recall moments composed of two images, that once assembled and layered, respond to each other, through a fine play of transparency.
With meticulous care, Stephanie artfully selects moments that resonate with each other, crafting unique prints that reflect not only her thoughts and images but also the chronicle of her life, into journals. These journals, known as” life diaries”, have been brought to life by diligently capturing three meaningful moments daily. That’s over 8,500 days, painstakingly handwritten. Alongside her camera, these diaries have been her constant companions for the past 23 years from the back of a rickshaw in India to the ice floe of Antarctica, ever since she embarked on her journey in the vibrant city of London, on March 31st, 2000.
With over 25,570 smiles, tearful moments, wonders, rencontres, destinations, accomplishments Be (t)here exploration sits at the intersection of art, neuroscience and well-being translating into a meaningful stream of recreated emotions and a deep appreciation for life.
The exploration through time and space converges with the work of interdisciplinary digital artist and sensorialist, Judith Darmont. Stephanie and Judith have chosen to team up to take people on a unique journey the week of the 30th of October combining a photography exhibition with an opening on the 1st of November at Coningsby Gallery and a vibrant and multimedia interpretation of Be(t)here from Judith which will take place the evening of the 3rd of November at Old Session House, a uniquely restore landmark building.
Considering the strong social and economic impact of memory loss, Stephanie has also chosen through the Be(t)here exploration to support Alzheimer’s Society, a charity that is focusing on curing and preventing Alzheimer’s disease, an increasingly damaging cause, that has affected her close family members alongside another 50 million people worldwide today.
Proceeds generated by printed photography sales (10%), the exhibition preview evening (50% of entries) and associated immersion exploration evening (30% of entries) will be donated to Alzheimer’s Society. About Stephanie Be.
As a self-taught amateur photographer, Stephanie Be. has developed a real passion for photography capturing the world through her lens. Over the last decades, her studies and work take her across 7 continents and 45 countries and civilizations where landscapes and people became her favourite subjects. In 2013, she runs her first solo Exhibition “Antarcticart” in London, dedicated to drive awareness of endangered remote polar regions. Over the years, she discovers cultures with the same eagerness for experiences and knowledge. In the heart of a city with dizzying energy or a nature with soothing virtues, she captures these moments through her memory, her pen and her camera, both became natural extensions of her eye. Her enthusiasm to share her work is also not only driven by the pleasure to cause a stir but also by the ability to always collectively support a great cause. While supporting Sightsavers in 2013, a charity that provides on-site treatment, education and training for blind and visually impaired people, Stephanie has chosen through the Be (t)here exploration to support the prevention of dementia, a cause that is affecting 55 million people worldwide and 955k in the UK alone. A number that is expected to reach 139 million in 2050.
stephaniebephoto.com
@stephaniebephoto
About Judith Darmont
Judith Darmont is an interdisciplinary digital artist and sensorialist. She experiments with the expanded use of digital technologies and new media to create digital paintings, installations, video art, sculptures; the creative space is multiplied in a field where techniques evolve exponentially. Through her art and sensitivity, Judith gradually contributes to the creation of an awareness of a unique belonging. Her artistic approach is deeply rooted in a permanent will not only to put art within everyone’s reach but also to invite everyone to contribute and experiment. And it is in this perspective that the dialogue with other artistic universes: music, architecture, dance, writing, is very quickly inscribed. It generates the creation of multiple ephemeral and immersive works. Strong of this will to push back the limits, to experiment, to exert an acute curiosity, she goes to meet other places such as brands and corporations to carry her artistic message and her poetry. This has led her to more than 300 prestigious collaborations.
judithdarmont.com